push for the big cuts republicans say they want. if they turn their back on those big cuts, the president is in the strongest position to say they are not living up to their rhetoric. let alone their principles. >> and there is no chance of them accepting any kind of big deal at all because the president is insisting that there be tax revenue increases in there. so the president knows that he is pushing something that they absolutely cannot agree to. so at this point, what the president does seem to be doing is what you just said, is making his position appear to be the one who wants to do the big move on deficit reduction and forcing these republicans to back away from big deficit reduction, thereby, he hopes, neutralizing deficit reduction as an issue against him in the presidential campaign. >> well, look. he's talked about deficit reduction all the way through. but remember, it's not just his position here. it's two thirds of the american public. we have a slew of polls here saying that two thirds of the american people want to